Abstract
R. B. Dingle’s method [1] for finding asymptotic solutions of ordinary differential equations of a type such as occur in the bending theory of thin shells of revolution is presented in outline. This method leads to the same results as R. E. Langer’s method [2], recently used for problems of this kind, and permits a simple analytical and less formal interpretation of the asymptotic treatment of such equations. A comparison is given of edge influence coefficients due to bending loads, obtained by use of these asymptotic solutions and numerical integration of the equilibrium equations, respectively. The particular shells investigated are of the open-crown, ellipsoidal, and negative-curvature toroidal types. The results indicate that the agreement between these solutions is satisfactory. In the presence of uniform pressure, the use of the membrane solutions for the determination of the particular integrals appears to lead to acceptable results in the case of ellipsoidal shells. However, in the case of toroidal shells, the membrane and the numerical solutions disagree significantly.
